La vida en el Período Edo

🏯 Global Context - Edo Period

Duration: 1603 – 1868
Central government: Tokugawa Shogunate
Administrative capital: Edo (present-day Tokyo)
Imperial capital (symbolic): Kyoto
Feudal government: Japan was divided into domains (藩, han) ruled by daimyō (大名), under the control of the shōgun. The emperor had a ceremonial role.
🏮 Social Classes (Shinōkōshō - 士農工商)

Samurai (士):
Ruling warrior class. Servants of the daimyō or the shōgun. They had privileges such as carrying two swords (katana and wakizashi) and receiving stipends.

Farmers (農):
Economic base of the system. They cultivated rice. Although poor, they were more respected than merchants for "feeding the nation."

Artisans (工):
Included carpenters, blacksmiths, potters, etc. They manufactured useful but not essential goods.

Merchants (商):
Officially lower class, but many became rich. They were dedicated to the trade of rice, paper, fabrics, etc.

Other unclassified groups:

Eta (穢多): Untouchables, worked in tanneries, butcher shops, and executions.

Hinin (非人): Vagrants, beggars, itinerant actors, prostitutes, etc.

🗾 Japanese Territory and Main Names

Edo (江戸): Capital of the shogunate.

Kyoto (京都): Seat of the emperor.

Osaka (大坂): Commercial center.

Satsuma, Chōshū, Tosa, Hizen: Large domains.

Tohoku, Chūbu, Kansai, Kyushu, Shikoku: Recognized geographical regions.

⚙️ Main Technologies

Intensive agriculture (rice on terraces).

Aqueducts and advanced irrigation.

Printing with wooden blocks (ukiyo-e).

Japanese clocks (wadokei).

Coastal ships (bezaisen), and clandestinely, Western ships.

Traditional medicine (kanpō) and, from the 18th century, Dutch medicine (rangaku).

⚖️ Main Laws (Examples of Bakufu-hō)

Sankin-kōtai (参勤交代): Forced the daimyō to reside alternately in Edo and their domains.

Prohibition of Christianity.

Rigid caste system.

Strict control of the use of weapons.

Moral and etiquette laws (Tokugawa moral edicts).

🗡️ Main Weapons

Katana, wakizashi, tanto (samurai swords).

Yari (spear), naginata (halberd).

Long bows (yumi).

Arquebuses (tanegashima), although restricted.

Shuriken, kunai and other minor weapons.

⚒️ Metallurgy and Craftsmanship

Advanced production of tamahagane steel for swords.

Forging of armor (yoroi) and helmets (kabuto).

Production of washi paper, silk and lacquered items.

Manufacture of ceramics, cutlery and agricultural tools.

👨‍🌾 Most Common Jobs

Farmers (cultivation of rice, soybeans, mulberry).

Artisans (blacksmiths, weavers, carpenters, potters).

Merchants (sellers of rice, sake, tea, silk, wood).

Domain officials.

Samurai bureaucrats (not all were active warriors).

Geishas, prostitutes (in authorized districts like Yoshiwara).

💴 Local Currency

Main currency: Mon (文), Ryō (両) and bu (分)

1 ryō ≈ 4 bu ≈ 4000 mon.

Metal-based system:

Gold (koban), silver (ichibugin), and copper (mon).

📏 Traditional Local Measurements

Length: shaku (尺), sun (寸), ken (間).

1 shaku ≈ 30.3 cm

Area: tsubo (坪), bu (歩).

1 tsubo ≈ 3.3 m²

Weight: kan (貫), monme (匁).

Volume of rice: koku (石).

1 koku ≈ 180 liters, enough to feed 1 person for a year.

🗣️ Language

Official language: Classical Japanese (bungo - 文語).

Mixed writing:

Kanji (漢字): Chinese ideograms.

Hiragana (ひらがな): native syllabary.

Katakana (カタカナ): used for foreign terms.

Reading was restricted to upper classes. There were oral storytellers and theater (bunraku, kabuki).

👤 Common Names of the Era
Masculine:

Toshiro, Haruki, Kenjiro, Ryunosuke, Ichiro, Masanori

Feminine:

Aiko, Chiyo, Hana, Kiku, Yuki, Nobuko

Note: The surname came before the given name. Example: Tokugawa Ieyasu.